The fans spoke, and we listened. And now, we continue on with The Top 50 UK Players of All Time poll results, as we look to see who placed in the 31-40 range.
The Top 50 Player of All Time poll is a fan poll to decide once and for all who the best players in Kentucky’s history really are. This list is comprised ENTIRELY of fan voting. By the people, for the people.
There were a lot of surprises in the 41-50 range, with some players falling a little lower than they should have, and some players showing up a little high. But it’s not for me to judge, it’s YOU, the FANS, who assembled this list. Democracy works, kids!
Before we continue with list, let’s look once again at positions 50-41
50. Mike Casey
49. Dicky Beal
48. Cameron Mills
47. Anthony Epps
46. Dirk Minniefield
45. Patrick Sparks
44. Alex Groza
43. Eric Bledsoe
42. Walter McCarty
41. Melvin Turpin
So who did you pick in the 30’s? Let’s find out!
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40. Frank Ramsey
(1951-1954)
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Ramsey was one of Kentucky’s biggest stars during the Adolph Rupp era, and is probably its most decorated, winning the 1951 NCAA Championship in his sophomore year as well as being a part of SEVEN NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics. An all-around athlete and keen scorer as well as a gifted rebounder, Ramsey left school as Kentucky’s fourth all-time leading scorer (27[SUP]th[/SUP] today) and its all-time leading rebounder (surpassed only by Dan Issel’s 1078).
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39. Wayne Turner
(1996-1999)[/B][/CENTER]
Some may remember Wayne for his odd-looking jump shot (with varying degrees of success). Others may see him as a key contributor to two national championship teams. But the one thing that always stuck out about Wayne Turner was his longevity. Turner played in a then-record 151 games over his college career, more than anyone before him. Turner also sits 42[SUP]nd[/SUP] on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list, as well as fourth on the Assists list.
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38. Terrence Jones
(2011-2012)[/B][/CENTER]
The second cat of the John Calipari era comes in at #38, Terrence Jones. Jones’ career took a lot of twists and turns (so did his recruitment, while we’re at it). He started his Cat career as a world-beater Freshman, as an early candidate for post-season awards and was set to be a prime contributor towards a championship run. And while Jones played admirably throughout the season, there were certainly periods that left us scratching our heads. Wisely returning for another year of seasoning, Jones flourished in his sophomore campaign. He became a cornerstone of the 2012 Championship team, playing stellar defense and making big plays when necessary.
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37. DeAndre Liggins
(2009-2011)[/B][/CENTER]
DeAndre Liggins’ story is a real riches-to-rags-to-riches tale, filled with more twists and turns than a daytime soap opera. He came to Kentucky as one of then-coach Billy Gillispie’s prized recruits. Slotted as a point guard, Liggins struggled on the floor. Off of it, he was beleaguered by attitude problems and team strife. So when Gillispie was ousted after the 2009 season, many though new coach John Calipari would boot him off the team. As a matter of fact, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Not only did Coach Cal not kick him off the team, he helped him flourish. By moving him to more of a “point-forward” play style, Liggins came alive. He became known as a tough lockdown defender and team leader.
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36. Ron Mercer
(1996-1997)[/B][/CENTER]
Ron Mercer was a freshman sensation before the one-and-done player became chic. Coming to Kentucky as a McDonald’s All-American, Mercer was a key contributor to the 1996 Championship team. He followed that up by becoming a team leader, scoring 18.1 points per game in his second campaign. After falling just short of a second consecutive national championship and the departure of head coach Rick Pitino to the NBA, Mercer declared for the draft, taken 6[SUP]th[/SUP] Overall by Pitino’s Boston Celtics.
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35. Josh Harrellson
(2009-2011)[/B][/CENTER]
Most had written off “Jorts” long before the 2010-2011 season. They lumped him in with other failed Gillispie recruits, and was an afterthought in the era of high-profile recruits. Even going into the season, there was little envisioned for him, other than occasional back-up duty to prized recruit Enes Kanter and highly-touted junior college transfer Eloy Vargas. But a funny thing happened on the way to the season tipoff. Kanter was declared permanently ineligible for collegiate play. On top of that, after being upset about being excluded from the team’s promotional poster and making it known on Twitter, Coach Cal made Jorts work extra hard in practice and conditioning. What was intended as punishment turned out to be a blessing in disguise. With Kanter out, Jorts rocketed up the depth chart and became a central piece of the 2011 Final Four team.
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34. Scott Padgett
(1995, 1997-1999)[/B][/CENTER]
Scott Padgett may be regarded as one of the most beloved Cats of all time, but his career certainly didn’t start out that way. He joined the Cats as a Freshman in 1995, but was buried on the depth chart behind Rodrick Rhodes, Walter McCarty, Mark Pope and Antoine Walker. He appeared in only 14 games and averaged an anemic 2.0 points per game. He left the team after that season in academic turmoil, ineligible to play for the 1996 season. He worked odd jobs in his native Louisville when he decided to give the college game a renewed effort. He went on to become a central piece of Kentucky’s success, with his scoring and shooting ability. He redeemed himself for missing out on the 1996 championship with a win of his own in 1998.
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33. Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones
(1946-1949)[/B][/CENTER]
Wah Wah Jones was another key contributor to Adolph Rupp’s success, winning national championships in both 1948 and 1949. Jones was a versatile player who was was an imposing, tough presence on the court. Adolph Rupp used to jokingly refer to him as “Killer” for his fierceness on the court. Not only does Jones sits 46[SUP]th[/SUP] all-time on Kentucky’s scoring list, hold two national championships and an Olympic gold medal, he has the distinction of being the only player in University of Kentucky history to have his number retired by both the basketball and football teams. (He also was part of the baseball and track and field teams.)
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32. Travis Ford
(1992-1994)[/B][/CENTER]
Need a big shot? Travis Ford was your guy. The diminutive point guard from Madisonville, Kentucky joined the team after a freshman campaign with Missouri. After playing sparingly (but memorably) his sophomore season, Ford came a alive in 1993. A dead-eye shooter, Ford shot an incredible 52.8% from behind the three point line. He was a central figure in the 31-point comeback against LSU in 1994. Amongst his many accolades were his fifty consecutive free throws made and his unheard of 91.2% Free Throw Percentage his senior season. He also sits fourth on the all-time three point percentage category, with an outstanding 44.5% career average.
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31. Keith Bogans
(2000-2003)[/B][/CENTER]
Keith Bogans was one of Tubby Smith’s most prized recruits, and for good reason. There wasn’t much the guard from Alexandria, Virginia couldn’t do. He could score, shoot, pass, rebound and defend with the best of them. He was a key contributor to the 2003 team that went a perfect 16-0 in SEC play. It was his ankle injury that hampered the Cats in their tournament game against Marquette that made Dewayne Wade a household name. You can’t help to think what might have been had he wasn’t injured, we’d probably have nine championships by now. Bogans sits fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,923 points, 12[SUP]th[/SUP] on the steals list with 155, 36[SUP]th[/SUP] on the rebounds list with 553 and 14[SUP]th[/SUP] on the assists list with 314.
Did your fellow fans get it right? Is someone too high on the list? Or are they too low? Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter pages, or in the comments section below. Or you can email your thoughts to [EMAIL=”[email protected]”][email protected][/EMAIL]. Your opinion matters to us.
